Have you already finished Armored Core 6, and you want more mech action but don’t feel like attempting a crazy no-weapon run just to breathe new life into the game? Worry not! I, and some of the Destructoid staff, have come up with a list of wildly varied mech-based games that I’m sure will scratch that itch.
Xenogears
If you love the Final Fantasy series, but you think it could use more mechs and have more of an anime look, then Xenogears is the game for you.
It begins as many other PlayStation 1-era RPGs do, with the hero’s rural hometown getting destroyed. Only this time, it’s not by an evil wizard—it’s by giant mechs straight out of what seems like hundreds of years in the future. That’s Xenogears’ way of telling players that they were about to experience something like they never had before.
On top of a good story and gameplay that remains fun to this day, Xenogears kickstarted a gaming universe that gave us the likes of Xenosaga and Xenoblade.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
If you read what I just wrote about Xenogears and thought, “This is what I want, but more modern and even more better-er”, then this is the one for you.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is, for the time being, the best mecha RPG in existence. It perfectly combines classic gameplay elements with the more modern, more action-oriented RPG battles you see in games like Final Fantasy XV. Also, its gorgeous world is a marvel to explore. Shame it’s the one Wii U game that hasn’t made it to the Switch.
Steel Battalion
Not many people ever got to fully experience Steel Battalion for the original Xbox because playing it as Capcom had intended required players to get a $200 controller that featured three pedals, two joysticks, and one hell of a lot of buttons. Still, the lucky few who got into that cockpit for the most realistic mech experience possible can attest that they will never forget their experience. So much for the original Xbox not having original titles.
Steel Battalion got an online sequel for the Xbox and another called Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor that came out on the Xbox 360, but they pale greatly in comparison to the original. I recommend you resist the urge to buy them just so you get some other use for that massive controller.
Zone Of The Enders: The 2nd Runner
The original Zone Of The Enders, Konami’s space mecha action title for the PlayStation 2 rocks. But this is the one that features Hideo Kojima’s signature on the cover, so you know it’s the real deal.
It improves upon even the strengths of the original ZOE, and it also does a much better job with both the plot and presentation than the first game. While having a whiny kid as the protagonist tends to bring surprisingly positive results in the mecha genre, ZOE 2 swaps the kid we played as in the original with Dingo, a space badass who looks and also has a name that sounds a lot like Dante. Also, Konami replaced the 3D cutscenes of the first game with full-on anime cutscenes, and the result is just beautiful.
If you like the original version, try giving Zone Of The Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars, the game’s awesome PS4 remaster, a go.
Phantom Brigade
Are you looking for a tactical mech-based game that has more of a Western look and feel to it? Then Phantom Brigade might just be the one for you. If you’re both into mechs and games like XCOM, then this is definitely one to try out. Destructoid’s Eric Van Allen says it reminds him of Gundam‘s 08th MS Team series in all the right ways, which is fairly high praise.
Just remember that, as with all things XCOM-like, this one will provide a huge challenge—though that probably won’t prove much of a problem if you’re looking for even more mech games after Armored Core 6 tossed you around.
Battletech
Battletech is the name of the MechWarrior universe, and Battletech, the game, is the latest and best way to experience that universe.
It invites players to a deep and sprawling CRPG experience that combines the best of the MechWarrior series of games, as well as the best elements of the tabletop series, without requiring players to pay exorbitant prices to get all of the cool extra stuff.
Into The Breach
Into The Breach looks just like a tactics RPG of old, which is great for nostalgia value, but don’t let it fool you. It’s also an extremely modern game that offers all sorts of quality-of-life improvements over the genre’s most well-known titles.
While it might not feature flashy graphics or nonstop action, ITB is one of the best tactical strategy games ever made—inside or outside of the mecha bubble.
Any game in the Armored Core series
I personally believe that the series got much better when FromSoftware imbued the AC series with its lessons learned while making Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. But the older games in the series still hold a lot of value.
If you want to see how it all began, try out the original Armored Core. It’s a game that, despite being simpler on the gameplay side of things, actually features way more customization options than Armored Core 6. If you want to see Hidetaka Miyazaki’s first crack at AC, then consider giving Armored Core: For Answer a try, as he directed that just one year before he got to make the original Demon’s Souls.
Lastly, consider giving Armored Core V a shot, even if just to see how much the series has evolved since its last entry. They’re all very interesting to explore in the wake of From’s latest take on the mech game genre in Armored Core 6.
Front Mission 3
Do you like Final Fantasy Tactics but don’t find Final Fantasy badass enough? Well, then, you can play Front Mission 3 because it’s like Final Fantasy Tactics but with mechs. What’s not to love—I mean, what’s not to enjoy in a completely non-emotional manner?
All jokes aside, Front Mission 3 is the best game in the series and a game that did an unbelievably good job at pushing the PlayStation 1 to its limits when it came to both graphics and depth of gameplay.
Titanfall 2
I like to sneak Titanfall 2 into basically any best-of list I come up with. It’s not just one of the best mech games, nor is it just one of the best FPS games ever made—it’s one of the best overall games ever made.
The bang for your buck ratio here is absurd. It features some of the most enthralling FPS action you’ve ever seen. Do you feel like the Call Of Duty series has gone stale? Worry not! This is where you’ll find all the innovation that has escaped that series.
Titanfall 2 provides one of the best multiplayer experiences ever made, too, or would provide if enough people played it. And that’s not where the goodies end: TF2 also introduces unbelievably awesome new mechanics in every single mission of its campaign in a way that makes it stand toe toe-to-toe with the campaigns of Half-Life 2 and Halo 3. I mean that.
There are even more mech games that didn’t make the cut of this list, but feel free to share more of your favorite mech game follow-ups to Armored Core 6 in the comments.
